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{{Short description|Japanese kind of clothing}}
[[File:Jidai Matsuri 2009 407.jpg|thumb|A woman wearing a red Suikan at a festival.]]
A '''{{nihongo|suikan|水干}}''' is a type of clothing that used to be worn by low-ranking officials serving the imperial court during the [[Heian period]] (794-1185).<ref name="KDJ" /><ref name="DJR" />  It is generally worn over other clothes.<ref name=":1" /> The word "Suikan" literally means "water-drying,"<ref name="KDJ">R:Kokugo Dai Jiten</ref><ref name="DJR">R:Daijirin</ref> referring to the process of stretching the cloth and drying it without using glue. The clothing is a sliding-door type of jacket with a single-breasted body and open sides, and the collar is tied with a kumihimo cord.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=第２版,世界大百科事典内言及 |first=日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),精選版 日本国語大辞典,百科事典マイペディア,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,デジタル大辞泉,旺文社日本史事典 三訂版,世界大百科事典 |title=水干(すいかん)とは？ 意味や使い方 |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%B0%B4%E5%B9%B2-82832 |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=コトバンク |language=ja}}</ref>  The term "suikan hakama" is also used to refer to the long [[hakama]] worn with the Suikan, although the exact meaning of this term is somewhat debated.<ref name=":0" /> It is considered a quite formal form of clothing.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Suikan |url=https://ee0r.com/proj/suikan.html |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=ee0r.com}}</ref> It features very large sleeves that attach to the shoulders for a short distance. The garment is made from one very wide fabric panel. The sides are open. This shows the clothes worn underneath.<ref name=":1" />
== Overview ==
Suikan of a single color and plain fabric are used for less formal ones, and for lower ranked people.<ref name=":1" />
They are tied together with knots at the necks and shoulders.<ref name=":1" />
In the late Heian period, various materials were used to make Suikan, including white [[linen]], plain-colored [[cloth]], and [[tie-dye]]d cloth. Warriors who became lower-ranked military officers of the court also wore Suikan, which gradually became a formal attire. From the [[Kamakura period]] to the [[Muromachi period]], samurai wore Suikan as formal dress along with hunting clothes.<ref name=":0" />
It is made with a single body (no backstitching) with a rounded collar, similar to a hunter's robe. However, the collar is not fastened with a dragonfly, but with a string attached to the back center of the collar and the upper front edge of the collar. The breast and sleeves are decorated with [[chrysanthemum]] ornaments. The long part pierced through is called "oohari," the short part "kohari," and the remainder below is called "dew".<ref>近藤良和、[[平凡社新書]]『装束の日本史』（初版発行2007年1月11日）P164-174。</ref>。
The Suikan was typically worn in the banryo style, but a method was devised to wear it in the tari-kubi style with the collar folded inward. A braided cord was used to reinforce and decorate the garment, and the wearer would typically wear a kuboshi hat and kukuri hakama with the Suikan.<ref name=":0" />
Various materials have been used for making Suikan, such as [[hemp]] cloth, plain [[silk]], [[twill]], and [[gauze]]. Fancier ones are made entirely of silk. The hem of the Suikan is tied together with a braided cord to prevent fraying, and tucked into the [[hakama]].<ref name=":0" />
Some suikan have kikutoji for decoration. They make the clothing stronger at certain points, and are often made of silk yarn. They look like pom-poms that have been flattened by ironing.<ref name=":1" />
== See also ==
* [[Kimono]]
* [[Miko clothing]]
* [[Japanese clothing]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Shinto religious clothing]]
[[Category:Miko]]